Nico Robin/Personality and Relationships
Personality Through her heritage on the island of scholars, Nico Robin is an archaeologist and historian, who joins the Straw Hat pirates. She seeks the comfort and freedom to study the mysteries of the world. She is the quiet, reserved crew member, rarely showing emotions or having outburst of emotions (occasional exceptions being sweat drops, and when she cried out to Luffy and the Straw Hats from the Tower of Justice during the Enies Lobby arc), and as such, is the only crew member to have no face faults. Robin also has an "adult charm" about her, as stated by Sanji. She even appears calm at times towards her crew mates, often speaking ominously around them. Robin has a somewhat macabre side to her, and often points gross or morbid facts, usually to the disgust of Nami or Usopp. Examples include: * When Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were exploring a galleon that had fallen from Skypiea and were eaten by a giant sea turtle, Robin says that they have been eaten along with the ship. * When Nami asks if Zoro was eaten by the skyshark, she says that the clouds would be turning red if he was. * When Nami is forced to swing on a rope past the skysharks, Robin says the height is about 50 meters and she would die if she fell. *Zoro and Nami return to the Going Merry in Skypiea but they cannot find Chopper, who was guarding the ship. Robin remarks that he may have been "shredded to pieces". * When Chopper is taken by the Foxy Pirates during a Davy Back Fight, Nami asks if Foxy is a collector of rare pets. Robin says, "Hopefully not a collector of rare pelts". * When the crew decide on the name "Thousand Sunny" for their new ship, Robin says that she was going to suggest the "Being of Darkness". * On Thriller Bark, she voluntarily investigates the Ghost Island with Luffy and Franky. She told Nami that she "likes thrills". * As Nami screams while testing the Mini-Merry II on Thriller Bark, Robin remarks that she may have been cursed by a ghost. * While the Strawhats are looking for Nami, Chopper and Usopp at the Ghost Island, Robin says that they are not even able to hear their voices anymore, wondering if they were strangled. * When they are attacked by the Cerberus on Thriller Bark, Robin says that she finds it "cute". * While searching for a way to reach Fishman Island in the shark submarine, Robin, Luffy and Brook encounter a giant sea monster that attacks them which resulted in Robin amusingly commenting on his big mouth that could swallow them instead of worrying about the situation. * When Luffy's group went out to beat the kraken and lost their way back to the ship she mildly commented, that hopefully they wouldn't be ripped to shreds by some monster. She speaks only if something noteworthy happens. When she does, she has been shown to possess an outstanding knowledge, especially in history. Her calmness is likely a result of the childhood that led to her life of hardship. The calamity that befell Ohara had a profound and traumatizing effect on Robin as a child, that she has only just begun to recover from. She will not understand why people regard history as meaningless. To her, there is nothing worse than destroying objects of historical significance. She approaches life and the world at large in a calm manner. She studies the world for its history. She shows little interest in the Ancient Weapons that others such as Crocodile and Spandam seek. However, she might be the only one who is able to awaken them. During battle, Robin tends to maintain a relaxed demeanor that only seems to change whenever the circumstances proved to be beyond her capacity to cope (i.e. a hopeless situation); more often than not, she would exhibit unshakable calmness and reserved behavior against an inferior adversary, to the point where she typically displays by using her powers to satisfy minor necessities (i.e. using a pair of arms sprouting from the ground to form a make-shift seat). And perhaps as a result of her violent past, she is very merciless during combat and like Zoro, she does not shy away from using deadly force. She will break the necks or spines of her enemies without hesitation, even when they cry for forgiveness, as demonstrated when she fought Yama near the ruins of Shandora. Despite her tendency to remain calm and collected, she can be quite intimidating and forceful when she wishes. This is exhibited when she essentially forces Brook to stop fooling around and continue his explanation. She also has a strong sense of personal pride. She refused to participate in Franky's "Tactic No. 15" docking procedure during the battle against Oars. The reason was that she found it "embarrassing as a human being". She flatly added that they should never try it again.One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 49 Chapter 472 and Episode 367, Robin refuses to "Dock" with the others. Relationships Crew Until after the Enies Lobby arc, Robin often tried to distance herself from other people, even her allies, as she knew that she was bound to leave them sooner or later. Upon first joining the Straw Hat crew she stated simply she had nowhere else to go, declaring that Luffy was responsible for her being alive and so he had to take responsibility for his own actions when she had decided to die. She rarely called her comrades by name, and instead referred to them using their ship-hand titles, such as Miss Navigator (Kōkaishi-san, i.e. Nami), Mr. Swordsman (Kenshi-san, i.e. Zoro), Mr. Long Nose (Nagahana-kun, i.e. Usopp), etc. She at first only called Luffy and Crocodile by their names, although in a professional manner as an agent. She does, on occasion, call Luffy "sencho-san" (meaning captain). Over time, however, Robin becomes closer with her crewmates, and begins to get a sense of belonging with them, and has stated that she cares more about their well-being than that of the rest of the world. After seeing how far they will go in order to save her, she begins calling them by name in recent arcs, doing so with Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Franky and Zoro so far. It can be said that after Enies Lobby, she has finally found the nakama that Saul said she would. She has also stated that, aside from saving her life, they were responsible for reviving her dream. She is grateful to Luffy for taking her in, and is significantly more patient with his impulsive personality than many of her fellow crewmates, even laughing when he impulsively allows members to join, while the others are shocked (after all, it is through this she became a Straw Hat member). She is also far more tolerant of Luffy's behavior, which at times even makes her laugh. This is going back as far as when they were enemies in the Alabasta arc when he fought Crocodile as "Water Luffy", drinking an entire barrel of water and spraying it at Crocodile from his mouth to make him more solid. Luffy was the one person able to convince her that she should live even if the world doesn't want her to, and if so, they are his and his crewmates' enemies as well. In many ways, Luffy reminds Robin of the other D. carrier she befriended. Robin is quite close to Nami, affectionately referring to her as "Nami-chan", and often spends time with her, particularly shopping when they have free time, and talking with each other. Robin sympathizes with Nami's frustrations at the male crew members' silly antics, but doesn't get upset by them. Similarly Nami responds by referring to Robin as her big sister. Sanji constantly flirts with Robin, as he does with Nami. He was the first member (excluding Luffy) to accept her as one of the crew. Sanji describes her as 'a distant, more mature beauty than Nami', yet calls her "Robin-chan" (vs. "Nami-san") which has a "cuter" and more childish aspect. He also tries to make her suffix cuter by changing it to "Robin-chwan" at times, but Robin, unlike Nami, tolerates his advances and typically responds with politeness. After the Alabasta Arc, when Robin had joined the crew, Zoro initially distrusted her, but later on he demonstrates that he cares for her too as he is willing to fight for her when she is in danger, such as catching her when she was nearly killed by Enel. He was also the first one to jump to her aid when she was threatened by Aokiji (though these may simply be due to his undying loyalty to Luffy, who accepted her). Furthermore, just like the rest of her nakama, he fought to save her from Enies Lobby and won the key that eventually set her free. Robin herself is willing to protect him in any kind of danger he is in, such as how she desperately tried to save him from getting killed by Kizaru. After Enies Lobby, Zoro completely trusts Robin and they both get along well with each other. She also stopped him from going out of the ship underwater from getting killed by the pressure from so deep to Fishman Island. Amongst the crew, Zoro and Robin are the most level-headed and serious in any situation. Robin gets along well with Franky, and she appreciates him risking his life to save her. She has a lot in common with him since both were wanted by the World Government's Cipher Pol when they were children despite being innocent and they saw their adoptive family destroyed by the World Government in front of them. Her relationship with Chopper exists on two levels. First on a somewhat maternal level, as she finds him "cute", and she acts quite motherly towards Chopper-in contrast with Nami's tougher grip. Secondly, on an intellectual level, where she treats Chopper somewhat like an equal due to their mutual intellectual pursuits and love of books (despite the difference in disciplines). She rarely interacts with Brook. She stood there emotionless when she met him and she does nothing when Brook asks to see her panties. In a filler arc, when Brook first joins, as he felt unworthy of being in the crew, Robin shares with Brook how she first felt joining the crew, and was able to relate with Brook. She says that true nakama won't abandon you and she reassures Brook that he will be fine amongst the crew. Usopp is the only one she addresses with -kun attached to a nickname, Nagahana-kun. She generally gets along well with him and unlike other crewmembers, rarely admonishes him for his cowardly behaviour. Friends Clover Professor Clover allowed Robin to become an archaeologist,One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 41 Chapter 391 and Episode 175, Robin passed her test and became an official archaeologist. it was his research on Poneglyphs that sparked her interest in the True History. Clover allowed her to read books in his library which sparked her interest in them. She was supported by the other archaeologists in the Tree of Knowledge. They were her only friends and they cared for her more than anything. Even when they threatened to ban her from the Tree of Knowledge if she continued to spy on the efforts to uncover the True History, they did so in order to prevent her from being branded as a criminal.One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 41 Chapter 392 and Episode 275, Robin is forbidden to spy on the scholars. Jaguar D, Saul Aside from this, Jaguar D. Saul also held a special place in Robin's heart for befriending her during her periods of loneliness, recognizing her pain and encouraging her to laugh in hard times, in addition to sacrificing himself in order to save her life. Revolutionary Army The first members of the Revolutionary Army that Robin met (to her knowledge) were the ones liberating the slaves at Tequila Wolf. She was suprised to learn that she was referred to as the "Light of the Revolution" by them and that they had been searching for her for 10 years under the orders of none other than Dragon himself. They offered to take her to Dragon but she declined at first, saying that she had a crew. After she read Luffy's message in the newspaper, she decided to go with them to Dragon. She joked that she wished they would have come for her sooner (which they thought she was serious at first and apologized), but she said that she's glad with the way things turned out. She refused to come inside the ship, saying that she didn't want to go anywhere where she couldn't escape. The revolutionaries accommodated her by bringing blankets, drinks, food, a sofa, and a wind protector for her. After the two year timeskip, she returned to Sabaody Archipelago alone but escaping some people. It's currently unknown what her relationship with Dragon or the other revolutionaries are now. Enemies Vivi During her time in Baroque Works, Robin was the enemy of those trying to save the kingdom from Crocodile's conspiracy, especially Nefertari Vivi, who believed that she had killed Igaram, and the Straw Hats. As a result, most of the Straw Hats were suspicious about her joining, until she won them over. Upon discovering that Robin joined the crew, Cobra was worried of Vivi's reaction, however Vivi trusted that Luffy has some reason for having her in his crew, and seemed to not hold any grudge against Robin. Yama While investigating the ruins of Upper Yard, she was interrupted by Yama. His fighting style destroyed the land around him, and when she yelled at him to stop, he disregarded the importance of the ruins. Outraged, she defeated him and forced him to beg her for forgiveness. However even when he apologized, she denied him forgiveness and tossed his body, head first, upside down, to the ground, finishing him off with her Clutch technique, showing zero tolerance for anyone who disregarded history. World Government Robin's greatest threat is always from the World Government, since, from the age of eight, they have ruthlessly hunted her. One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 22 Chapter 203 and Episode 123. Robin's betrayal leads to Crocodile impaling her. Wherever she went she was unable to find happiness and was constantly thrown out. And when the people she stayed with found out they were now the targets of the World Government, the group would turn on her, with the exception of Crocodile who agreed to protect her. To this end, Robin's claim is that her greatest enemy is the world itself.One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 41 Chapter 398 and Episode 278, Robin speaks of her enemies. Crocodile Aside from the World Government, Robin has made many enemies in the past through her constant betrayal, the most dangerous of which is Crocodile. Iceburg Several other civilians hate her, fearing her ability to awaken Pluton. Iceburg is one such example, as he states that while he would prefer to burn Pluton's blueprints, he must guard them in case the World Government uses her to revive the weapon. However, his opinion of her changes after he realizes that she is willing to turn herself in to save her friends, finally admitting that she is a good person. Franky feels similarly about her at first, but after learning of her being forced to turn herself in to save her friends, he immediately sympathizes with her due to his sentimental nature. Aokiji While Robin fears the three Admirals for their reputation of being the most powerful fighters of the Marines, she fears Aokiji the most, for they had a personal encounter 20 years ago. Aokiji stated that he was not her friend, and he would hunt her down if she became a problem. However, he had let her live due to the wish of his good friend, Jaguar D. Saul, who also happened to be Robin's friend. After the war within Enies Lobby, Aokiji had seemed to form a somewhat benign relationship with Robin, stating "Ohara still lives". Spandam and Spandine Two of Robin's greatest enemies are former CP9 director, Spandine, and his son, Spandam, both of whom considered her a "devil". They activated the Buster Call in attempts to kill those dear to Robin (the citizens of Ohara and the Straw Hat Pirates, respectively, though the latter was triggered accidentally). Robin herself was the victim of their abuse of authority, suffering physical, verbal and emotional abuse from Spandam, until Franky freed her. Consequently, Robin took her revenge by seriously injuring Spandam when the opportunity arose (namely, Seis Fleur Slapping him silly and in the end breaking his spine). Family Nico Olvia Nico Olvia was Robin's mother''One Piece Manga and Anime'' - Vol. 41 Chapter 392 and Episode 275, Robin's mother. and although the two went for many years without seeing each other, her mother still loved her deeply. She was proud of her daughter and considered her amazing for being able to read Poneglyphs at an extremely young age. Her only regret was she was unable to spend time with her daughter and all Robin ever wanted was to see her again and be with her. Roji Roji was Robin's aunt, via marriage to Olvia's brother. She disliked Robin and mistreated her from the very moment she walked into her house and treated her like nothing short of a slave.One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 41 Chapter 391 and Episode 275, An example of Robin's aunt's treatment.One Piece Manga and Anime - Vol. 41 Chapter 393 and Episode 276, Roji speaks her mind as Olvia's brother accepts Robin into his care. As the boat she boarded was hit and sunk, she is believed to be dead.One Piece Manga - Vol. 41 Chapter 395, Roji dies. Other Although they were related to her, Robin is never shown interacting with her uncle and cousin. Robin's uncle was seen defending her against his wife, but otherwise did little to help her or acknowledge her as a member of the family. Robin also had a father, however, she never knew him and his name remains unknown. All family members (except Robin's father who died many years beforehand) are believed to have died at Ohara. The children of Ohara usually picked on Robin, but are scared off by her Hana Hana no Mi powers, and their parents would call her a monster for it. References Site Navigation Category:Character Subpages